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Amsterdam Winter Finally Arrives: Good and Bad

This week Amsterdam and most of Europe was covered in a thick layer of snow. Record low temperatures were experienced.

The bad thing about the recent cold snap has been delays in transport. Trains from The Hague to Amsterdam were delayed by 4 hours or cancelled on Friday. Many flights were also delayed or cancelled out of Amsterdam Airport.

The good thing about the big chill is that the canals in Amsterdam have frozen over. A rare event over the last decade in the nation's capital. Omy Amsterdam Walking tours have managed to take a route rarely travelled, on frozen water! Our guide took this wonderful photo below of people enjoying the frozen canals.

The Dutch cultural tradition of ice skating has finally been practised. People of all ages have taken to the ice in this most Dutch of winter past times.

The Dutch have always excelled at skating and especially long distance ice skating.

The famous 11 city ice skating marathon is being considered. Conducted over a maze of canals in the northern Province of Friesland this 200 kilometre event attracts tens of thousands of participants. The event was last held in 1997 and before that in 1986. The race committee announced that if the east wind and cold temperatures continue through the week it could be held over the weekend or next week if mother nature agrees. Watch a documentary done in Dutch by the National Radio of the 1985 race.

Private walking tours have still continued, a testament to our enthusiastic guides who will take people out no matter what the weather.